How to Host an Around the World Wine Party (with Free Printables)

Wine can transport you across the world in one sip. It’s the perfect way to experience other cultures when you don’t have the time or the funds to go there in person. Why not invite your friends on a delicious journey by throwing a wine tasting party with an international theme!

Wine Regions

There are so many wonderful regions and countries that are producing amazing wines, including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, California in the United States, Germany, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Chile. The possibilities are endless; you could focus the party on one region, compare the same type of wine from different regions, or just have an eclectic collection from around the world.

When picking which wines to include in your selection it’s important to keep your guests in mind. Are they more partial to the whites, like German Riesling and Argentinian Chardonnay? Or do they prefer a fuller red wine found in a French Merlot or a Spanish Tempranillo? Also, recognize that your guests may enjoy something sweet like a Portuguese Port or something bubbly like an Italian Prosecco. Just make sure they are labeled and displayed well – unless you want to do a blind tasting party and test your international wine IQs.

Wine Tasting Tips

Good wine tastings begin with how your wine has been aerated and what temperature it’s served at. Make sure you know beforehand how long a bottle needs to be open for maximum flavor enjoyment, and find out if your wine choice needs to be decanted. Different wines also have optimum serving temperatures, so keep that in mind when preparing your tastings. Room temperature whites and ice cold reds are a no-no.

After pouring your glass about a quarter full, or less for a tasting, swirl the wine around in your glass. This helps to aerate your wine and helps the flavors to rise so that you can smell the wine’s “bouquet.” Take a small sip and slurp the wine in your mouth to aerate and to get the full flavor experience as smell is more powerful for tasting than your taste buds. The slurping may seem extreme but it’s totally acceptable during a tasting (but maybe not so much when drinking your glass of wine in a restaurant). Slurp away and try to notice all of the different flavor complexities and differences from different regions.

If you ever have the chance to travel to any of these wine capitals, do it, your taste buds will thank you. Use our travel guides to help you narrow down your destinations. But in between your culinary adventures, host a party at home with Gifts.com‘s printable placemats and wine tasting party guide. You could even take it a step further and create personalized glasses or wine glass charms that your guests can take home with them.

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